Dyes known as oxidation dyes, which are produced by oxidative coupling of a developer component with a coupling component, are preferred due to their intense colors, the mild reaction conditions under which they are formed, and their very good fastness properties. Nitrogen bases such as primary aromatic amines with an additional hydroxyl or unsubstituted or substituted amino group in p- or o-position, diaminopyridine derivatives, 4-amino-pyrazolone derivatives, heterocyclic hydrazone derivatives, and tetraaminopyrimidines are generally used as developer substances. Phenols, m-phenylenediamine derivatives, naphthols, resorcinol derivatives, and pyrazolones are useful as coupling components.
Good oxidation dyestuff components must meet the following requirements:
They must produce the desired color nuances in sufficient intensity during oxidative coupling with the respective developer or coupling component. Also, they must possess a capacity for being absorbed by human hair without excessive coloring of the scalp. In addition, they should be toxicologically and dermatologically safe.
The production of the strongest possible color shades closely corresponding to the natural hair color nuances is also important. Furthermore, the general stability of the dyestuffs produced as well as their fastness to light and to washing and their thermostability, have very special significance for the prevention of color shifts from the original color nuance or even a change in color to different shades. In addition, in the hair dyeing field there is always an interest in new oxidation dye components that can be combined with the known dye components to produce new color nuances of cosmetic value.
Tetraamino derivatives of diphenyl, diphenylmethane, and diphenylethane are known as oxidation dye intermediate products from German Pat. No. 365,785. However, the color shades obtainable with these substances are unsatisfactory in their purity and intensity and in their resistance to heat and cold-waving of the hair. For example, bis-(2,4-diaminophenyl)-methane and 1,2-bis-(2',4'-diaminophenyl)-ethane produce brown-gray to brown-black nuances with p-toluylenediamine that take on a dirty, impure brown shade under the influence of heat or thioglycolate solutions.
Bis-(2,4-diaminophenoxy)-alkanes and their use as oxidation dye intermediate products are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,809. However, the creation of coupling components with even better toxicological and dermatological properties remains a desirable goal.
Thus, the search for suitable oxidation hair dyes includes the task of finding the proper components that meet the above-mentioned prerequisites in an optimal fashion.